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Why are bamboo sold with there tops cut off?

assuming that you're talking about lucky bamboo (which isn't a bamboo but a dracaena), I have no idea why they are sold with their tips cut off, but they can easily grow to about 10 feet. They have a bit of a problem staying upright when they get that tall, at least when they are by themselves.

The shoot coming out of the side will eventaully grow that tall too - if given room, light, support, etc.

Growing plants indoors in pots in the home is a lot different and more limiting than growing plants outdoors in a tropical climate or in a climate -controlled greenhouse.

In general, a large stemmed plant that has been grown outside or in a greenhouse, will produce larger growth when moved indoors than a comparable plant that is much smaller when brought indoors.

The growth rate and size are both reduced in proportion to the available light.

Many of your experiences with growing plants outside in Hawaii are not really applicable to growing the same plants inside in a pot. It's a whole different world here in my New York City apartment! Someday I would love to get to your beautiful state.

I'm sortof aware of that (the indoors and outdoors growing of plants).
I'm not from Hilo, but moved here 17 years ago from Germany.
I remember having a plant that I now consider a lawn weed (Wandering Jew)
in a planter and being very upset when parts of it died back - in spite of
my apartment always being quite warm, and trying to keep the humidity
up as well, it never approached a green house, or the (wet) tropical outdoors.

Any leads where to find out more about the meaning of lucky bamboo,
having more or fewer stalks, whether there is anything particular to them
being curly (I know how they do that, that's not the question), meaning of
the containers, etc? (Rather than buying them, which is easy to find).